Civil society writes to CJ over Thilina Gamage

Civil society anti-corruption activists, environmentalists and lawyers wrote to the Chief Justice calling for suitable action to be taken with regards to special treatment outside the judicial processes and procedures being meted out to former Magistrate Thilina Gamage, an accused in a case involving the ownership of a baby elephant.

In the letter, a copy of which was also sent to the Secretary of the Judicial Service Commission, Advisor to the Anti-Corruption Front, Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon explained that this was a case of an accused party being treated differently in a court of law, a fact which flew in the face of the maxim that everyone is to be treated as equal before the law.

A protest was held near the Hulftsdorp courts complex recently with regards to the snatching of baby elephants from the wild after killing their mothers, and a petition was signed in this regard.(RLJ)